Sunday, March 4, 2012

Cooking Kabobs

Saturday night I was inspired to do some serious cooking. Iranian food was again on my mind. I've made kabobs a couple times, but have yet to master them. I also wanted to try basmati rice with tahdig. I have to say, that with the help of this cookbook and My Persian Kitchen, I came close. Check out my feast:

According to Brandon, the meat was spot on (tasted just like my Dad's). I skewered the meat and cooked in over our grill pan. Not 100% satisfied with this technique but it did stay mostly on the skewers and got cooked all the way through. Roasted tomatoes are to die for - slice in half, skewer and grill baby - don't forget the salt! The rice was a labor of love, mostly following this recipe. My tadhig was a bit burnt and the rice was a bit too soft. Must learn how to make potato tadhig. And finally the salad was made according to this recipe. I didn't have any mint though. I topped off my plate with a scoop of plain yogurt and it was so good (I'll need to get some dill if I want it to taste like Baba's).

1. In a warm mixing bowl, combine meat, salt, pepper, baking soda and onion. Knead with your hands for about 5 minutes to form a paste that will adhere well to cooking skewers. Cover the paste and let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature.
2. Using damp hands, divide the meat paste into 12 equal lumps about the size of oranges. Roll each into a sausage shape 5 inches long and mold it firmly around a flat, sword-like skewer. Cover and keep in a cool place.
3. For the baste, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add a pinch of salt and lime juice.
4. Arrange the skewers on the grill. After a few seconds, turn the meat gently to help it attach to the skewers and to prevent it from falling off.
5. Grill the meat 3 to 5 minutes on each side, and brush with mixture of melted butter and lime juice, just before removing it from the grill.